Single-use toilet brush head

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a disposable brush head assembly that may be used in conjunction with a toilet cleaning handle or wand. The assembly is a brush head pad that is disposed inside a water soluble wrapper for ease of handling.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toilet brushes are typically used to swirl cleaning chemicals around atoilet bowl and then to scrub the sides of the bowl with those chemicalsand water, so as to assist in removing grime along the bowl sides. Suchbrushes usually have brush bristles that are permanently affixed to thehandle of the brush.

After using such brushes a consumer will typically attempt to rinse offthe brush by swirling it in the bowl water. This rinsing process may berepeated through one or more additional rinsing flushes. While this mayrinse off most of the cleaning chemicals and grime typically found inthe toilet, the brushes still normally retain some contaminants evenafter extensive rinsing. As a result, such brushes can develop anunpleasant smell or appearance during storage.

Regardless, such brushes will be dripping wet immediately after use. Theconsumer sometimes will therefore shake the brush over the toilet to tryto remove most of the excess water, and then quickly move the brush intoa storage bucket. This can result in some liquid being splashed ordripped on the floor. In any event, a storage place for the brush isneeded between uses where drippings can collect.

To address the drawbacks associated with traditional toilet brushes,permanent brush handles with disposable/replaceable brush heads weredeveloped. These brushes were designed so that the brush heads could beflushed down the toilet after use. Some such heads were impregnated witha cleaning composition to avoid the need to separately add a cleaningchemical.

However, the disposable brush heads that were impregnated with aconcentrated cleaning composition were not easy to handle because directcontact with the cleaning composition can cause skin irritation in someindividuals. Further, while the heads may be small enough to beconsidered “flushable,” the brush heads are relatively compact ascompared to a wad of toilet paper, and may cause problems in certainwaste systems, such as a sensitive septic system. This problem may beexacerbated by any extra structures (such as cardboard bands) used tohold brush head parts together.

In other prior art devices, disposable brush heads are formed fromhighly water-degradable material. Unfortunately, this may begin to fallapart before the cleaning process is completed, particularly whenaggressive scrubbing is attempted. Further, such material may be soflexible that it is difficult to transmit scrubbing force from thehandle to the brush head portion.

Thus, a need continues to exist for improved toilet brushes havingreplaceable brush heads. In light of the foregoing problems and issuesdiscussed above, it is desired to have a disposable brush head that iseasy to handle. It is also desired that the brush head be less likely toclog plumbing. It is further desired that the brush head maintain itsintegrity long enough to adequately clean a toilet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect of the present invention, a disposable brush head assemblysuitable to be held by a toilet-bowl cleaning device includes a pad, acleaning compound, and a water-soluble film configured to contain thepad and the cleaning compound.

In another aspect of the present invention, a disposable brush headassembly suitable to be held by a toilet bowl cleaning device, includesa stack of a plurality of layers of a substrate. A water-soluble film isconfigured to contain the stack and cleaning compound granules, the filmhaving a plurality of apertures therein. The apertures are small enoughto contain the cleaning compound granules.

In yet another aspect of the present invention is a toilet cleaningassembly which includes a handle and a disposable, flushable, pad thatmay be selectively attached to the handle. The pad is made from a foldedstrip of material. Further included is a cleaning compound, and awater-soluble film configured to contain the pad and the cleaningcompound.

Advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a review ofthe following disclosure. In the description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings which form a part thereof, and in which there isshown by way of illustration, and not limitation, preferred embodimentsof the invention. These embodiments do not represent the full scope ofthe invention. Rather, reference should therefore be made to the claimsherein for interpreting the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full an enabling disclosure of the present invention, including thebest mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is setforth more particularly in the remainder of the specification, whichmakes reference to the appended figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of one embodiment of a brush headassembly of the present invention, with a dissolvable wrapper.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of another embodiment of the dissolvable wrappersimilar to that shown in FIG. 1, with the exception that the wrapper hasapertures through a surface thereof.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of yet another embodiment of the dissolvablewrapper similar to that shown in FIG. 1, with the exception that thewrapper has indicia on a surface thereof.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of a view of yet another embodimentof the dissolvable wrapper similar to that shown in FIG. 1, with theexception that the wrapper is constructed from a flat sheet that hasbeen wrapped about the brush head.

FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of a further embodiment of the dissolvablewrapper similar to that shown in FIG. 1, with the exception that atleast a portion of the wrapper is constructed from a shrink wrap.

FIG. 6 is a rear elevation of one embodiment of the brush head pad asdepicted in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the brush head pad as seen in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an exploded end-elevation of the brush head pad shown in FIG.6.

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the brush head assembly shown inFIG. 4, attached to one embodiment of a handle.

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of an alternative embodiment of apartially constructed brush head pad.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a mesh materialcovering the brush head assembly shown in FIG. 4, the mesh materialhaving a honeycomb pattern.

FIG. 11A is an enlarged view of the mesh material shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 12 is a cut-away view of another embodiment of a mesh materialcovering the brush head assembly pad, as shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and notmeant as a limitation of the invention. For example, featuresillustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used withanother embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intendedthat the present invention include these and other modifications andvariations.

As used herein the term “meltblown fibers” means fibers of a polymericmaterial which are generally formed by extruding a molten thermoplasticmaterial through a plurality of fine, usually circular, die capillariesas molten threads or filaments into converging high velocity, usuallyhot, gas (e.g. air) streams which attenuate the filaments of moltenthermoplastic material to reduce their diameter. Thereafter, themeltblown fibers may be carried by the high velocity gas stream and aredeposited on a collecting surface to form a web of randomly dispersedmeltblown fibers. Meltblown fibers may be continuous or discontinuousand are generally tacky when deposited onto a collecting surface. Insome embodiments, however, low or minimal air flow is used to reducefiber attenuation and, in some embodiments, to permit neighboringfilaments of molten polymer to coalesce (e.g., to adhere along therespective sides of the strands), becoming joined at least in part alongthe proximate sides of the neighboring strands to form fibers that aremultifilamentary aggregate fibers (i.e. an aggregate fiber formed of twoor more polymer strands further defined herein).

As used herein, the term “cellulosic” is meant to include any materialhaving cellulose as a significant constituent, and specificallycomprising about 20 percent or more by weight of cellulose or cellulosederivatives, and more specifically about 50 percent or more by weight ofcellulose or cellulose derivatives. Thus, the term includes cotton,typical wood pulps, nonwoody cellulosic fibers, cellulose acetate,cellulose triacetate, rayon, viscose fibers, thermomechanical wood pulp,chemical wood pulp, debonded chemical wood pulp, lyocell and otherfibers formed from solutions of cellulose in NMMO, milkweed, orbacterial cellulose, lyocell, and may be viscose, rayon, and the like.Fibers that have not been spun or regenerated from solution may be usedexclusively, if desired, or at least about 80% of the web may be free ofspun fibers or fibers generated from a cellulose solution. As usedherein, the term “flushable” generally refers to an articles designedsuch that its size and manufacture facilitate flushing in conventionalsewer and septic systems.

The present invention provides a toilet brush head assembly that isdisposable and replaceable. Referring to FIGS. 1-12 is a brush headassembly 10 and its primary components, a brush head pad, referred to aspad 12, and a wrapper 14. Cleaning compounds may be added to the brushhead assembly 10, such as within the wrapper 14. Optional abrasives maybe further added to the brush head assembly 10. These and other detailsof the brush head assembly 10 are described herein.

In one embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, as seen in FIGS. 6-8, astrip of sheet material may be folded in an accordion-like manner tocreate the pad 12. Desirably, the folds form edges 52. Edges 52 may liein the proximity of a common plane so that when the pad is compressed inz-direction 53, the edges 52 together form a surface. The pad then takeson the appearance that it is formed from a rectilinear block of sheets.The pad 12 includes cleaning region 60 that is opposite a clamp region62. The cleaning region 60 is the portion of pad 12 that will be usedfor cleaning. The clamp region 62 is the portion of pad 12 that isclamped between the jaws 102 of the cleaning tool 100. The clamp region62 is separated by the cleaning region 60 by an imaginary line in thex-direction 68.

The rectilinear block of sheets defining pad 12 may have other shapes ifthe sheet material is cut prior to being folded, or the pad 12 is diecut or otherwise altered in shape after being formed. For example, thepad by have rounded corners, in particular, at corners 58 (FIG. 7).

In another embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, as seen in FIG. 10,the pad 12 is constructed from a strip of sheet material 50 that isrolled in the direction of its longitudinal axis. This results in acylindrical-shaped pad 12. As with the previous embodiment of pad 12,there is a cleaning region 60 which is the portion of pad 12 that willbe used for cleaning. A clamp region 62 is the portion of pad 12 that isclamped between the jaws 102 of a cleaning tool (not shown).

In yet another embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, pad 12 isconstructed from a stack of separate sheets, and constructed to form apad 12 similar to that seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, minus the folds 52. Yetanother alternative approach, also not specifically shown, is to takeshorter pieces of the water-degradable material to create multiplefolded over pieces. The separate folded over pieces could then bestacked in a manner similar to that seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. Thesealternative approaches may have certain advantages that may merit thelikely higher cost of production relative to the switchback or foldedconstruction. The single or shorter folded over sheets will already besplit into multiple separate pieces, thereby expeditingwater-dispersability. Regardless of the precise embodiment, the pad is astack of layers that may or may not include folded edges.

Regardless of embodiment, the overall pad 12 will unfold or fall apartafter being flushed (unless the user purposefully stirs the pad 12 inthe toilet water after releasing it from the holder 100). Thus, it isdesirable that the stack remain unbonded or free (e.g. not press bonded,stitched or stapled to create a compressed portion) so that the openingof the stack is not inhibited. This can help prevent potential plumbingclogs prior to after the brush head assembly 10 has been flushed down atoilet. Before use, pad 12 is held together by the wrapper 14. Duringuse, pad 12 is held together by the jaws of handle 100.

To possibly enhance the ability for the pad to conform to the curvaturesof a toilet bowl, the sheet or pad may be cut to form slits 54 in areathat will define the cleaning region 60 of pad 12. The slits 54 definefingers 56 that are free to move in all directions, allowing the fingers56 to fan out. In the embodiments seen in FIGS. 7 and 10, slits 54extend laterally from the cleaning edge 60 to the clamp region 62.Regardless of the embodiment used, the clamp region 62 may be sized suchthat there are no fingers 56 disposed between jaws 102 when the pad 12is in use. Desirably, the length (measured in y-direction 66) of fingers56 may have a width of about 2.54 cm to about 8 cm. Also desirably, thefingers 56 have a width as measured in the x-direction 68 of about 3 mmto about 9 mm. Most desirably, the fingers have a width of about 4 mm toabout 7 mm.

In the embodiment as seen in FIGS. 6-8, slits 54 may be aligned so thatthe section of the sheet 50 between each folded edge 52 is approximatelyidentical. After folding the pad, the fingers 56 may then beapproximately aligned. It is further contemplated that the pad could beslitted using a cutting technique capable of going through all thelayers of pad 12.

Pad 12 may be made from a variety of sheet materials. Most desirably,the material is considered to be “water degradable,” meaning that thematerial tends, with the degree of mechanical agitation typical inresidential plumbing systems, to structurally separate in water intopieces (preferably numerous pieces less than 2.54 cm in less than aboutone day or less, or less than about 30 minutes.) Sheet materialsappropriate for pad 12 include nonwoven fibrous webs having about 90 to100% cellulosic pulp fibers.

In one embodiment of the present invention, pad 12 is formed from asheet material that has desirable abrasive properties. For example, thesheet may include an abrasive layer of meltspun web, such as may beformed using a water soluble polymer material or a melamine. In anotherembodiment, microbeads of metal, glass, carbon, mica, quartz or otherminerals, plastic such as acrylic or phenolic may be applied to thesheet material as a spray or ink. In yet another embodiment, the sheetmaterial may have abrasive particles formed within the web, such as themicrobeads, meltblown fibers, and the like. It is further contemplatedthat the abrasiveness of a sheet may be enhanced by a plurality ofelevated and depressed regions due to nonuniform basis weight,nonuniform thickness, or due to the three-dimensional topography of anunderlying fibrous web such as a textured wetlaid tissue web.

Pad 12 desirably has a thickness of about 1 centimeter to about 3centimeters. However, for some plumbing systems, it may be moredesirable to have a thickness of about 1 centimeter to about 2.25centimeters. The number of layers of sheet material 50 making up paddepends on the basis weight of the sheet material 50 and the amount ofcompression applied to the pad 12.

Turning next to FIGS. 1-5 and 9, each single brush head 12 is enclosedin a film that forms a wrapper 14. Wrapper 14 may take the form of awrap sheet (FIGS. 4 and 9) or a pouch (FIGS. 1-3 and 5). The wrapper 14allows the consumer to manipulate the brush head into a handle device100 without having to touch any cleaning chemicals that may beassociated with the pad 12 and/or contained within wrapper 14. Thewrapper 14 has a continuous surface, or a non-continuous surface thatincludes apertures. Further the wrapper 14 may include indicia, asdescribed below.

Wrapper 14 is made from a water soluble film material such as polyvinylalcohol. Desirably, the film is a polyvinyl alcohol with a degree ofhydrolysis from about 80% to about 90%, though other types of polyvinylalcohol may be used. Desirably, this film has a thickness of about 0.7to about 3 mils. In the alternative, the film has a thickness of about0.75 to about 2.3 mils. In yet another alternative, the film has athickness of about 0.75 to about 1.5 mils. Other water-soluble filmsfrom which the wrapper 14 may be made include hard and soft gelatins,hydroxpropylmethylcellulose, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, sugar, sugarderivatives, starch, starch derivatives, and polymerized ethylene andacrylic acid, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene oxideand ethylene-co-acrylic, or polycaprolactone. The wrapper film may beopaque or translucent, and may be tinted with color, if desired.

In one exemplary embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, shown in FIG.1, the pad 12 is surrounded by a wrapper 14 in the form of a pouch. Thepouch may be formed from a tube stock, as is known in the art ofpackaging, either formed separately or formed about the pad 12 from asheet stock. Once a pad 12 is surrounded by wrapper 14, each end 74thereof is sealed with a thermal, pressure, or ultrasonic sealingapparatus as is known in the art (see FIG. 2).

In another exemplary embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, shown inFIGS. 3 and 5, the pad 12 is surrounded by a wrapper 14 in the form of aheat-shrink style wrapper. Specifically, the pouch may be formed from byplacing the pad 12 between two sheets of heat shrinkable film, and thenheated so that the sheets conform to the pad shape as is known in theart.

In yet another embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, shown in FIG.4, the pad 12 is surrounded by a wrapper 14 in the form of a sheet. Thesheet is wrapped about the pad 12 so that a seam 80 is formed. A pair offlaps 82 and 84 are formed by tucking the sides 86 inward toward the pad12. Flaps 82 and 84 are also folded inward toward the pad so that theyoverlap. Seam 80 and flaps 82 and 84 are at least partially, if notfully bonded together, so that wrapper 14 remains intact about pad 12,at least until it has been wetted. A water soluble adhesive such ascasein or starch based adhesives may be used to seal seam 80 and flaps82, 84.

In a further embodiment of the brush head assembly 10 (not shown), thepad 12 is only partially surrounded by a wrapper 14 in the form of apouch or sheet. Rather than completely surround the pad 12 as describedin the previous embodiment, the clamp region 62 remains uncovered bywrapper 14. The purpose of this is to prevent any possible sticking ofwrapper 14 to the cleaning handle clamp. Further, wetting of pad 12maybe facilitated. The open end of partial wrapper 14 would beadhesively connected to pad 12. As described with the previousembodiments, cleaning compound may be disposed between the wrapper 14and pad 12, or impregnated into pad 12.

Regardless of the wrapper embodiment, desirably, the wrapper 14surrounds the pad 12 with a friction fit to preserve the structuralintegrity of the pad 12 prior to being clamped in handle 100. To achievethis, the pad may be compressed just before wrapper 14 is applied, andthen allowed to expand so that the friction fit is achieved. However, itis contemplated that the wrapper 14 may have a sliding fit with respectto pad 12, or even a loose fit. These fits may be more appropriate whenthe layers of the pad adhere together after being impregnated with acleaning compound.

In one embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, wrapper 14 has severalapertures 86 for the purpose of wetting the brush head 12 more quickly,and thereby degrading the wrapper more quickly. For instance, as seen inFIG. 2, an array of apertures 86 may be placed one or more surfaces andregions of wrapper 14. Desirably, the wrapper may have up to aboutthirty apertures having a generally round shape and ranging from about0.5 mm to about 2 mm in diameter or width. In the alternative, theapertures are slitted holes.

In a further embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, the wrapper 14includes indicia 88, visible from an exterior surface. The indicia 88may be purely aesthetic, or may be used to impart information. Theindicia 88 may be printed, adhered, or otherwise disposed on thesurface.

In some embodiments, messages, statements, or copy may be used to impartinformation about the brush head assembly 10, or may help facilitate orestablish an association in the mind of a user of the component one ormore mental states, psychological states, or states of well being. Thecommunication, statements, or copy may include various alphanumericstrings, including, for example: “clean,” “fresh,” “hygiene,”“convenient,” or “disposable,” derivatives or combinations thereof, orother such words or statements indicating that the brush head assembly10 is a fresh, sanitary way to clean a toilet.

Another piece of information that may be imparted by indicia 88 is thejaw placement. For example, an indicia (not shown) as to where a user isto place the jaws 102 of handle 100 may be disposed on the appropriateportion of wrapper 14 which overlaps clamping portion 62. These indicia,if disposed on the exterior surface 53 of wrapper 14, may be made froman ink containing a material that prevents the jaws 102 from sticking.For instance, a hydrophobic ink such as a TEFLON or silicone-based inkmay serve this purpose.

In another embodiment, as seen in FIG. 3, an indicia 88 in the form ofan aesthetic design is placed on the wrapper 14. For example, a floraldesign may be used to imply freshness. However, the present invention isnot intended to be limited by this random example. Indicia 88 ink mayalso serve as a fragrance, cleaning compound, and/or a dye to color thewater in the toilet bowl. For instance, the dye may be water soluble,and simply dissolve when exposed to water, thereby transferring itscolor to the toilet water. In another embodiment, the indicia 88 ink mayinclude a fragrance. Further, the indicia 88 ink may include a cleaningcompound that cleans by mechanical action (abrasion) or chemical action.For instance, the ink may include abrasive material such as microbeadsof metal, glass, carbon, mica, quartz or other minerals, plastic such asacrylic or phenolic, or cleaning materials such as surfactants.

In yet a further embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, the wrapper14 includes a fragrance. For example, when a user unpacks a brush headassembly 10 from a package, the film may be used to impart a fresh,clean fragrance to excite the user about the chore of cleaning a toilet,and/or to indicate the freshness that will result from using the brushhead assembly 10 to clean the toilet. Any indicia 88 may be coordinatedwith a fragrance used. For instance, lavender flowers may be depicted inindicia 88, and matched with a lavender fragranced wrapper 14. Fragrancemay be applied to the wrapper film as a separate component, or may beincorporated into the wrapper film prior to extrusion.

In addition to the mechanical cleaning ability of pad 12, it is mostdesirable that a cleaning compound may be used in conjunction with thepad 12. The cleaning compound may be a powder or granular material, oran anhydrous liquid (so as not to prematurely dissolve wrapper 14).Further, the cleaning compound may have anti-fungal and/oranti-bacterial properties. The cleaning compound may be applied to thepad 12 or wrapper 14, disposed within the confines of wrapper 14, or allof the above. In addition, more than one type of cleaning compound maybe used to signal different stages of the cleaning process. Each suchfeature is discussed more fully below.

In one embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, a highly concentratedcleaning compound is injected between a number of sheet materialsections located between folds 52 or disposed on the outer surfaces 53of the pad 12 (see FIG. 7).

One example of a cleaning compound for such impregnation or applicationcontains surfactant (e.g. lauramide DEA; sodium lauryl sulfate; sodiumdodecylbenzene sulfonate), perfume, and various other ingredients suchas dye and preservative. However, it is contemplated that any anhydrouscleaning compound may be used, including compounds that have additionalproperties such as anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and/or anti-odorproperties, e.g. chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach, enzymes, and the like.Enzymes that are water soluble proteases like pepsin, tripsin, ficin,bromelin, papain, rennin, and mixtures thereof may be particularlyuseful.

In another embodiment of the present invention, brush head assembly 10has a powdered, anhydrous liquid or granular cleaning compound insidethe wrapper 14, along with the pad 12. In storage or shipping, thecleaning compound may work its way into the pad 12, though this is not anecessary characteristic of the cleaning compound. Desirably, thecompound is made from an anionic surfactant, such as dodecyl benzenesulfonate, an abrasive, such as calcium or sodium carbonate, dye,fragrance. The compound may also contain perborate or percarbonate toprovide oxygen bleaching capability. Further, the compound could containenzymes for additional soil removal capability.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, brush head assembly10 has the cleaning compound disposed onto the inner surface (oppositesurface 53) of the wrapper 14. For instance, the concentrated cleaningcompound may be spray-coated onto the inner surface of wrapper 14.

It is contemplated that more than one type of cleaning compound may bedisposed in or on the brush head assembly 10. For example, a foamingcleaning compound may be disposed within wrapper 14, and a coloredcleaning compound may be impregnated between the layers making up pad12. Thus, during use, the brush head assembly 10 will initiallydemonstrate a foaming action, followed by a coloring action. This way,the user will know that the pad 12 has been activated for two stages ofcleaning. In one embodiment, first stage of cleaning may remove generalgrime, and the second stage of cleaning may impart a fragrance to theimmediate vicinity of the toilet being cleaned.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the foaming cleaningcompound may be made from an acid source and a carbon dioxide source.Suitable acid sources herein are capable of providing solid organic,mineral or inorganic acids, and the sources are thereto desirably in theform of acids, salts or derivatives thereof or a mixture thereof.

In particular organic acids maybe used. It may be desireded that theacids are mono-, bi- or tri-protonic acids. Such acids include mono- orpolycarboxylic acids preferably citric acid, adipic acid, glutaric acid,3 cetoglutaric acid, citramalic acid, tartaric acid, maleic acid,fumaric acid, maleic acid, succinic acid, malonic acid. Such acids maybe used in their anhydrous forms. Other acids include sulphonic acidssuch as toluenesulphonic acid. A carbon dioxide source includes anymaterial that can provide carbon dioxide when reacting with an acidsource upon contact with water. The carbon dioxide source includescarbonate, bicarbonate and percarbonate salts or mixtures thereof.

Yet another alternative embodiment is to facilitate scrubbing byincluding an abrasive in the cleaning compound, or by using a materialhaving a more abrasive nature, such as a mesh material. For example, inone embodiment of the present invention, a mesh wrap 90 could bedisposed around the pad 12, or the brush head assembly 10 (see FIGS. 11and 12). The mesh wrap 90 is made from a water-soluble material, such aspolyvinyl alcohol, or any other material that may be used to createwrapper 14. Desirably, the mesh has apertures 92 therein that arearranged into an array. The array may be configured into a honeycombpattern (as show), in rows, concentric circles, an aesthetic design, oreven random pattern. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the aperturesare defined by rib portion 94, and range in size from about 1 mm toabout 4 mm. Each rib portion 94 may range in size from about 1 mm toabout 3 mm. The thickness of the mesh is desirably about 1 mil to about8 mils, as measured at the thinnest section of each rib portion 94. Inanother embodiment, the thickness of the mesh is desirably about 2 milsto about 6 mils, as measured at the thinnest section of each rib portion94. In yet another embodiment, the thickness of the mesh is desirablyabout 3 mils to about 4 mils, as measured at the thinnest section ofeach rib portion 94.

In another embodiment of the brush head assembly 10, the wrapper 14 ismade to be relatively abrasive to assist with scrubbing toilet grimefrom the bowl. One way to make the wrapper 14 abrasive is to impart atexture on an outer surface, at least in the region of that covers thecleaning region 60 of pad 12. The texture may be a mesh material that isbonded to at least of portion of the exterior surface of the wrapper 14,for example, to the portion overlapping the cleaning region 60. Inanother embodiment, the texture is created by adhesively bonding agritty substance such as sodium bicarbonate, salt, silica, or pumiceonto the exterior surface of the wrapper 14 (not shown). Any apertureslocated through the surface 53 of wrapper 14 (described above) mayimpart a texture to the wrapper 14, and thus, an abrasive quality, atleast until the wrapper 14 dissolves.

Abrasive materials that may be added to the cleaning compound include:sodium bicarbonate, silica, pumice, and microbeads of metal, glass,carbon, mica, quartz or other minerals, plastic such as acrylic orphenolic. Desirably, included in cleaning compound is a relativelycoarse polymer, such as ABX-30, available from Celanese. It may bedesirable that the abrasive materials be water soluble, depending on thetype of plumbing system in which the brush head assembly 10 is used.

Moreover, the brush head could be altered in other ways. For example,the wrapper 14 and/or pad 12 could be impregnated with BITRIX or anotherknown bittering agent that will cause a child to immediately spit outthe brush head assembly 10 if the child tries to chew on it.

In operation, the aforementioned exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention 10 is attached to a handle, such as the handle 100 shown inFIG. 9. The brush head assembly 10 is completely immersed into the waterof a toilet bowl. The user may start to rub the bowl with the brush headassembly, or just wait until the wrapper 10 has degraded to betterexpose pad 12. The pad 12 may be rubbed against the toilet bowl interiorto remove any grime or film. After the toilet bowl is cleaned to thesatisfaction, or after the pad 12 had begun to degrade to the pointwhere it is no longer effective for removing grime, the brush headassembly 10 may be released from the handle 100. The pad 12 will eithereasily fall off into the toilet bowl water, or fall off after the usergently taps the handle 100 against the interior side of the toilet bowl.The pad 12 may be flushed down the toilet where it will further degradeand disperse into smaller pieces. In the alternative, the user maychoose the dispose of the pad 12 in a waste can.

Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have beendescribed in detail above, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention.

1. A disposable brush head assembly suitable to be held by a toilet-bowlcleaning device, the brush head assembly comprising: a pad; a cleaningcompound; and a water-soluble film configured to contain at least aportion of the pad and the cleaning compound.
 2. The brush head assemblyof claim 1 wherein the pad comprises a plurality of water-solublesubstrate layers positioned to form a stack.
 3. The brush head assemblyof claim 2 wherein the pad is dispersible in water.
 4. The brush headassembly of claim 1 wherein the cleaning compound is non-liquid.
 5. Thebrush head assembly of claim 1 wherein the cleaning compound is ananhydrous liquid.
 6. The brush head assembly of claim 5 wherein the filmis poly-vinyl alcohol.
 7. The brush head assembly of claim 6 wherein thefilm has a thickness of about 0.7 mils to about 3 mils.
 8. The brushhead assembly of claim 1 wherein the film further comprises an abrasiveparticle.
 9. The brush head assembly of claim 1 wherein the film furthercomprises a mesh material.
 10. The brush head assembly of claim 1wherein the film comprises an indicia.
 11. The brush head assembly ofclaim 10 wherein the indicia comprises a water soluble dye.
 12. Thebrush head assembly of claim 10 wherein the indicia comprises asurfactant.
 13. The brush head assembly of claim 1 wherein the filmcomprises a fragrance.
 14. The brush head assembly of claim 1 whereinthe pad is saturated with the cleaning compound.
 15. The brush headassembly of claim 14 further comprising a second cleaning compound thatis different than the first cleaning compound.
 16. The brush headassembly of claim 1 wherein the pad has a clamp portion adapted to beengaged by a handle, and a cleaning portion comprising finger members.17. The brush head assembly of claim 1 wherein the pad has a clampportion comprising a coating to prevent sticking to the handle.
 18. Thebrush head assembly of claim 1 wherein the water soluble film comprisesa continuous surface.
 19. The brush head assembly of claim 1 wherein thewater soluble film completely surrounds the pad.
 20. A disposable brushhead assembly suitable to be held by a toilet bowl cleaning device, thebrush head assembly comprising: a plurality of layers of a substrate,the plurality of layers positioned to form a stack; a plurality ofcleaning compound granules; and a water-soluble film configured tocontain the stack and the cleaning compound, the film having a pluralityof apertures therein; wherein the apertures are small enough that thegranules are contained within the film.
 21. A toilet cleaning assemblycomprising; a handle; a disposable, flushable, pad comprising a foldedstrip of material for selective attachment to the handle; a cleaningcompound; and a water-soluble film configured to contain the pad and thecleaning compound.